British police admitted on Thursday that search warrants used to raid properties linked to Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, the younger brother of King Charles III, were unlawfully issued and must be quashed.

Thames Valley Police confirmed the error in a High Court hearing, where Justice Nicholas Hilliard ruled the warrants—used in February to search Mountbatten-Windsor’s homes in Sandringham and Windsor—were granted under the wrong legal provision. The force accepted the court’s decision but said its investigation into the former prince for suspected misconduct in public office, tied to his alleged sharing of confidential government documents with late U.S. sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, remains active.

Mountbatten-Windsor, 66, was arrested on Feb. 19 on suspicion of misconduct in public office and released the same day. His legal team challenged the warrants, leading to Thursday’s ruling. Police are now seeking to retain seized materials, including documents and electronic devices, pending further legal proceedings. A spokesperson for Thames Valley Police stated that the error pertained only to the warrants’ legal basis, not the broader investigation, which continues .

Mountbatten-Windsor has denied any wrongdoing. The case stems from emails released by the U.S. Department of Justice earlier this year, allegedly showing he passed sensitive information to Epstein while serving as a U.K. trade envoy between 2001 and 2011 .